Updated: Ethics committee dismisses complaint against alderman

Friday

May 10, 2013 at 12:04 PM

Eric Curl

The three-member Savannah Ethics Committee dismissed this morning a compaint by radio host Chester Dunham against Alderman Tony Thomas.

Dunham, who did not show up to the hearing, alleged in a March complaint that on Jan. 31, Thomas had "stumbled by" and uttered obscenities at him while he interviewed a state senator during Savannah-Chatham day at the state Capitol.

City Attorney Brooks Stillwell advised the committee that the allegations, if true, did not violate the city's ethics code, meant to prevent conflicts of interest and public officils from financially benefiting from their position.

Regarding the allegations, Thomas said the two did "exchange words", but Dunham had sensationalized the conversation after instigating it. Thomas said he did not regret any of his comments and would not apologize, as suggested by the committee chairman as a way to resolve the matter. Thomas said that the ethics committee did not know the full story and that he would likely be taking legal action regarding things Dunham has said on his radio show.

For more on this story, check online at Savannahnow.com or Saturday's edition of the Savannah Morning News.